She also wrote a succession of letters to Tesco and Lotto organiser Camelot.

She reckons she has spent #25 on postage fees to get her hands on her two quid prize.

But she said: "For me, it was a point of principle.

"I wanted an explanation of how this had happened - how I had come to pay for a scratchcard in good faith and been told it was void."

The strong-willed Lotto gamer even got in touch with the Gambling Commission and the National Lottery Commission.

And, now that Camelot has paid out her winning amount, Mrs Raven says she wants to warn other Lottery players to check when they buy scratchcards.

She added: "You need to be on your guard when buying tickets and if you are told the card is void, like I was, don't be afraid to pursue it.

"I am not going to spend the money. I'm going to buy a frame and put it on the wall so that I can actually see what a winning cheque looks like from Camelot."

Mrs Raven said she would also be pursuing Tesco for reimbursement for the money she has spent on postage fees.

Alexia Latham, Camelot's media relations manager, said: "Our retailers are instructed to activate scratchcard packs before they put them on sale. Unfortunately this appears not to have happened on this occasion.

"In line with our rules and procedures, we have investigated Mrs Raven's situation and are satisfied that she had a genuine ticket - so we have agreed to pay her the #2 prize."

A Tesco spokesman said: "There appears that an error was made on the scanning of the scratchcard which Mrs Raven bought.

"We are investigating it to understand exactly what happened.

"We have apologised to Mrs Raven and have promised to keep her up to date with developments in our investigation."